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Michael Farrell (activist)

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Irish civil rights activist

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Michael Farrell
European Commission against Racism and Intolerance
Incumbent
Assumed office
24 November 2011
Council of State of Ireland
In office
6 January 2012 – 10 November 2018
Appointed byMichael D. Higgins
Irish Human Rights Commission
In office
2001–2011
Personal details
Born1944 (age 79–80)
Magherafelt
Political partyPeople's Democracy
Alma mater
OccupationConsultant in Human Rights law
Profession
  • Lecturer (1968–1981)
  • Journalist (1981–2000)
  • Solicitor (2000–2016)

Michael Farrell (born 1944, Magherafelt) is an Irish civil rights activist and writer. He was a leading figure in the Queen's University-based People's Democracy (PD) from 1968 until the 1970s.

Farrell was educated at Queen's University Belfast, earning a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in English, and the University of Strathclyde, where he was awarded a Master of Science (MSc) in Politics. He was a Labour Trotskyist, becoming involved in the Northern Ireland civil rights movement in Northern Ireland in the late 1960s and joining its executive. He was also a founding member of PD, established on 9 October 1968 after Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) had broken up a civil rights march in Derry on 5 October. Farrell stood as their candidate for Bannside in the Northern Ireland general election of 1969, where he finished third behind Terence O'Neill (the Northern Ireland Prime Minister) and Ian Paisley. He was interned without trial for six weeks from 9 August 1971. Imprisoned for breach of the peace in 1973, Farrell and another PD member, Tony Canavan, went on hunger strike in demand of political status. The strike lasted for thirty-four days before they were released.

In the 1980s he campaigned for the release of victims of miscarriage of justice cases in England and in the Republic of Ireland, including the Birmingham Six. Farrell also campaigned against political censorship under Section 31 of the Broadcasting Act in Ireland.

After moving to Dublin, he studied at Dublin Institute of Technology to receive a Diploma of Legal Studies and became a solicitor through the Law Society of Ireland. Farrell was co-chairperson of the Irish Council for Civil Liberties from 1995 to 2001. He was appointed a member of the Irish Human Rights Commission in 2001 and reappointed in October 2006, serving until 2011. In 2005 he was appointed to the Steering Committee of the National Action Plan Against Racism. He previously was a senior solicitor for Free Legal Advice Centres between 2005 and 2015, and has brought cases to the European Court of Human Rights and the UN Human Rights Committee.

In 2011 he was appointed to the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance and was reappointed for a second term in 2016.

In January 2012 he was nominated to the Irish Council of State by President Michael D. Higgins.

In 2022 University College Dublin recognised Farrell's contribution to Irish public life, specifically to human rights in the context the introduction of the state’s gender recognition laws, with an honorary doctorate.

Published works

References

  1. Farrell, Michael (12 December 2018). "Reflections on the Northern Ireland Civil Rights Movement Fifty Years On by Michael Farrell" (PDF). Queen's University Belfast. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 September 2021. Retrieved 25 September 2024.
  2. "Interview with Michael Farrell for RTE News in September 1969". Queen Mary University of London. Retrieved 25 September 2024.
  3. ""The scapegoat has been selected as the People's Democracy"". RTÉ News. 12 September 1969. Retrieved 25 September 2024 – via RTÉ Archives.
  4. ^ "FARRELL Michael - European Commission against Racism and Intolerance". Council of Europe. Retrieved 24 September 2024.
  5. ^ "Michael Farrell". Academia.edu. Retrieved 24 September 2024.
  6. CAIN: Stormont General Election (NI) - Monday 24 February 1969
  7. ^ "Michael Farrell recognised by UCD with honorary doctorate of laws". Irish Legal News. 9 September 2022. Retrieved 25 September 2024.
  8. "Michael Farrell - UCD President's Office". University College Dublin. 6 September 2022. Retrieved 25 September 2024.
  9. "Michael Farrell re-appointed to European Commission against Racism and Intolerance". Irish Legal News. 5 December 2016. Retrieved 25 September 2024.
  10. Doyle, Kilian (6 January 2012). "Council of State nominees unveiled". The Irish Times. Retrieved 25 September 2024.
  11. "President appoints seven to Council of State". RTÉ News. 6 January 2012. Retrieved 25 September 2024.
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